On page 8 of our March 29 issue, we’ve played a little prank on PBA. Where you would normally find a photo essay and the Looks page, you instead have three Onion-esque takes on PBA life. These stories are fictional labors of love, each written to bring a smile to your face. Read through, leave us comments and let us know what you think. Each story is listed below in its entirety with some pretty amazing artwork (if we do say so ourselves). Continue reading →

and other ways to communicate effectively during those sticky situations

By Ashley Duchesneau

Contributing Writer

If you’ve ever backed down unassertively from someone who mistreated you or lashed out uncontrollably against someone who meant you no harm, you know: Talk isn’t cheap.

The price you pay for not saying what you mean or saying something you didn’t mean can be dear indeed: guilt, anger, loss of self-esteem. And that doesn’t include the hurt feelings and other emotional “claims” of the guy who falls casualty to your unruly tongue.

Photo by Anna Zetterberg

Experts see the results of inappropriately expressed emotions every day.

Some people are afraid to speak up for their needs at all. You can tell something is gnawing at them. They frequently complain of headaches, depression, boredom or anxiety.

With the NFL draft approaching, there is one topic that just won’t seem to go away and that is Tim Tebow.

Everything about the guy is captivating in some way, whether you love him or hate him. Besides his highly criticized public life and outspoken Christian faith, there are many question marks surrounding his NFL future. Which team will draft him? Which round will he go in? Will he be a quarterback? How good will he be in the pros?

I’ve never seen anything like it. There are numerous NFL prospects that deserve just as much or more attention than Tebow, but the bottom line is he creates controversy.

And with people on both sides of the fence on all the issues surrounding him, there is a lot to talk about before the draft. Continue reading →

Whatever happened to the expression, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” Last time I checked, God had created everyone in his image, so we are beautiful inside and out.

BeautifulPeople.com has changed those facts. This Web site was created by Greg Hodge because he was tired of “unattractive people” passing as “gorgeous” and “attractive” people: apparently this wasn’t fair to the more attractive people who had to settle for the less “attractive people.”

Even though signing up for the Web site seems easy, you have to upload a picture. It needs to be a full facial picture with no sunglasses or facial hair. It should only have one person and updated regularly if you become a member.

In the beginning of the year, the site dropped — rather expelled — an estimated 5,000 members for gaining weight over the holidays.

I believe sayings like, “Self-esteem is a good thing,” and, “You are beautiful in your own way,” are true. You should not have to rely on people telling you what you should look like and be like just to be part of their own little corner full of people who are just so insecure.

In the generation in which we live, it’s very easy to get influenced by the media. We look to other sources in the media for the latest news, gossip and fashion. All of that is fine if that’s what you want and makes you feel happy, yet self-worth is far too important; we can’t rely on others to make us feel appreciated and “in style.”

What people seem to lack these days is confidence in themselves. People coming out with foolish Web sites like this doesn’t make the cause of finding self-worth any easier.

The best way to eradicate these genres of sites and media in general is to not pay attention to them. No one needs the judgment of others to feel beautiful.

Everyday as you wake up, if God is pleased with what you see in the mirror that is all the approval you need.

“You’ll never guess what your sister did this time,” said my mom’s annoyed voice in a message left on my phone last spring.

That afternoon, my mom was perplexed upon finding an e-mail from an unknown sender.

Artwork by Alicia C. Stamm

“Hello, Diane — click here to view my eHarmony profile!” Confused, she clicked the link, which brought her to the eHarmony home page of “Diane-to-meet-ya” (meant to sound like dying to meet you when read aloud).

Yes, my witty sister had taken it upon herself to sign up Diane, our single mother, for an eHarmony profile.Continue reading →

The Beacon Blog

The Beacon Blog is the official student blog of the Beacon student newspaper of Palm Beach Atlantic University. Dedicated to covering everything related to Palm Beach Atlantic University and the surrounding area. Breaking news that matters to PBA students, alumni and Palm Beach community members.